Ward, who won two bronze medals in individual and team competition for Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, will be one of five inductees in the 2015 class, which includes two athletes and three coaches. Ward received the most votes of all five inductees in an online poll conducted by USA Fencing open to all individuals ages 18 and older who held current USA Fencing memberships of supporting level or higher on Feb. 1, 2014.

Six years after retiring from international competition, Ward will enter the Hall of Fame as one of the most decorated saber fencers in USA Fencing history. She made history as the first fencer ever to hold Senior, Junior and Cadet World titles all in the same year as a 16-year-old in 2006 and became the youngest fencer ever to represent the United States at the Olympic Games

Following her bronze medal finishes in Beijing in 2008, Ward enrolled at Duke University where she went on to become the NCAA’s first three-time women’s saber national champion. She took home NCAA gold in 2009, 2011 and 2012 and finished her Duke career with a 272-7 (.975) overall record, which is tops in school history in both wins and winning percentage. She also won silver at the 2010 NCAA Championship and holds the distinction of being one of just three Duke student-athletes to win three national championships in any sport.

Ward graduated from Duke in 2012 after receiving Academic All-America first team and ACC Female Athlete of the Year honors as a senior. She earned her undergraduate degree as a public policy major and currently resides in Washington, D.C.